There are various grant, loan, fellowship, scholarship, and employment opportunities available to graduate students in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. Some programs offer stipends while others are specifically for travel or research. Whether state, national or international awards, awards specific to ASU or those based within the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, students are responsible for understanding eligibility and application instructions.
We consider all PhD applicants to our school for multi-year funding packages. MA and MUEP students may be considered for TA positions on a semester-by-semester basis. More details regarding RA and TA appointments are available in the SGSUP Graduate Programs Handbook.
Additional funding information:
- Financial Aid and Scholarship Services
- Financial Aid for Graduate Students
- Financial Aid for International Students
- Graduate College funding opportunities
- Graduate Student Government Funding Opportunities
- Funding Resources for ASU International Graduate Students and Researchers (Google Doc; must be logged into ASU Google account)
- Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarship Advisement (competitive and prestigious award database)
SGSUP Awards
The Anthony J. Brazel Research Award is a student paper competition for Geography PhD students in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (SGSUP). The award was established in 2007 as a way to recognize outstanding work on graduate research and honors Professor Brazel's past career and leadership of ASU's Department of Geography and School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning.
Application Deadline: March 1
Discipline: Geography, GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
The Endowment supports an annual fellowship award for Geographical Information Systems (GIS) students in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning.
Funding Selection Process: By school director and committee
Discipline: GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
The Brian & Leah Swanton Urban Planning Scholarship will award students intending to utilize their work in the urban planning field to positively impact distressed communities across the U.S. while helping to create social equity amongst low income populations.
Application Deadline: March 1
Discipline: Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
Gage Davis Associates Urban Planning Travel Scholarship Endowment
The endowment will provide travel scholarships for students enrolled in the urban planning degree programs in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, to travel outside the United States.
Application Deadline: March 1
Discipline: Planning
Citizenship: United States
The Gilbert F. White Environment and Society Fellowship is a competitive stipend for support of doctoral studies in the geographical sciences. Part of the Gilbert F. White Environment and Society Professorship, the fellowship focuses on students interested in human-environment (nature-society) topics and skill sets required to entertain them.
Funding Selection Process: by application to B. L. Turner II, Gilbert White Professor of Environment and Society
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
The John F. Lounsbury Student Travel Fellowship finances the travel of outstanding incoming doctoral students in Geography or Geographic Information Science to present results of their research at professional meetings. This fund helps students gain visibility in the discipline and increase their job prospects.
Funding Selection Process: By school director
Discipline: Geography, GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
The Mary R. Kihl Leadership Endowment supports a bi-annual scholarship, the Mary R. Kihl Leadership Award, to a graduate student in planning who exemplifies leadership qualities within both the planning program and the community at large. In alternate years, the endowment funds are used to support lectures, symposia and other activities supporting scholastic development in the field of planning.
Application Deadline: March 1 of even-numbered years
Discipline: Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
Award(s) will be made to undergraduate and/or graduate students in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University to support field work that will culminate in a B.A., B.S., M.A. or Ph.D. degree in Geography or Ph.D. degree in Geographic Information Science at Arizona State University.
Application Deadline: March 1
Discipline: Geography, GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
The Melvin G. Marcus Fellowship supports graduate students in their field work endeavors. Awards support research that will culminate in an M.A. or Ph.D. degree in Geography or Ph.D. degree in Geographic Information Science at Arizona State University.
Application Deadline: March 1
Discipline: Geography, GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
The Pat Gober Water Prize is a student research proposal competition that recognizes the outstanding leadership, mentoring, and scholarly contributions of Professor Gober within ASU's Department of Geography and (later) the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, the Decision Center for a Desert City, and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.
Application Deadline: March 1
Discipline: Geography, Planning, GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
Awards outstanding PhD students who participate in professional development opportunities. Both research and teaching development activities are considered.
Application Deadline: Fall semester: Sept 15; Spring semester: Jan 15; Summer semester: Mar 15
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
Awards outstanding PhD students who demonstrate service to the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning via project leadership, volunteering, or serving on committees.
Application Deadline: Fall semester: Sept 15; Spring semester: Jan 15; Summer semester: Mar 15
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
Arizona Awards
Tony Gonzales Scholarship Program
The Arizona chapter of the Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITAz) in conjunction with Pima County and the Arizona Geographic Information Council (AGIC), offers free student registrations for the annual AGIC Symposium held each fall. To be considered for these awards, students must be currently enrolled in, or have graduated within the past 6 months from, an undergraduate or graduate program in GIS or a related field.
Application Deadline: August
Discipline: GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
Women’s Transportation Seminar Scholarships (Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter)
Each year the Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter of Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) offers scholarships for female students pursuing a degree in a transportation-related field. See the linked document for details about the most recent year’s scholarships.
Application Deadline: November - December
Discipline: Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
National and International Awards
This awards program provides a means for student groups to share their ideas, learn from one another, and receive recognition (and rewards!) for creative, successful activities. The program is designed to promote students' volunteer involvement; recognize their outstanding efforts; identify best practices; and strengthen the ties between student organizations and the American Planning Association. Awards in each category will include a monetary contribution to schools' PSO to fund its activities.
Application Deadline: December
Discipline: Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
The AICP Student Project Awards recognize outstanding class projects or papers by a student or group of students in Planning Accreditation Board-accredited planning programs that contribute to advances in the field of planning. Awards categories included: Applied Research; Application of the Planning Process; Contribution of Planning to Contemporary Issues
Application Deadline: December
Discipline: Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
The American Geographical Society sponsors a Scholar-Internship Program throughout the year in its headquarters in Brooklyn Heights, New York.College undergraduate and graduate students with interests in any of the following areas are encouraged to apply: Geography, geospatial analysis and GIS, information technology and web development, media and communications, event management, and accounting and finance. Part-time internships during the academic year generally have duration of 15 weeks each in the Fall and Spring Semesters and require that the student work 15 hours per week.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Discipline: Geography, GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
American Planning Association Scholarships and Fellowships Guide
The American Planning Association offers diverse scholarships and fellowships at both the national and division level. This site links to information about both types of opportunities, and also includes a listing of scholarships and fellowships offered to planning students by other organizations.
Funding Selection Process: For most of the scholarships, students submit an application.
Discipline: Planning
Citizenship: United States
The Association of American Geographers offers a number of awards for students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level. Choose 'For students and undergraduates' to see a listing of the awards.
Application Deadline: varies
Discipline: Geography, GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
Each year, the Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS) sponsors three scholarships that recognize academic achievement and encourage the continuing success of outstanding cartography, geographic information systems (GIS), and geographic information science (GIScience) students. Applicants must be enrolled, or accepted into, a masters or PhD degree program in the year of the announcement or the following year.
Application Deadline: January
Discipline: GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
American Planning Association Daniel J. Curtin, Jr. Fellowship
The Fellowship Program is open to third and fourth year undergraduate students, master's degree students, and certain law students. One fellowship with a stipend of $3,000 is awarded per academic year. The stipend includes a $2,000 award and a $1,000 APA membership and Annual Conference stipend. The term of the fellowship is approximately 10 months (the typical length of two semesters or three quarters), from mid-October to mid-August, and will include approximately 100 to 200 total hours of work.
Discipline: Planning
Citizenship: United States
Each year, ESRI offers student assistantships to its user conference, which takes place each summer in SanDiego, California. Students assistants help staff with conference support, and in return receive full registration, hotel accommodations and a per diem allowance for meals. Open to currently-enrolled graduate students and 4th year undergraduate students who are familiar with GIS software and geospatial applications.
Application Deadline: April
Discipline: GIS
Citizenship: International, United States
The Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program operates on the principle of reciprocal exchange and provides opportunities for outstanding American students to study and/or conduct research in Canada. Award recipients include American citizens who are graduate students, prospective graduate students, or junior professionals. Award duration ranges from one to three academic years.
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: United States
Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF)
The Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to twelve months of support to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled in PhD programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research on non-US topics. Eighty fellowships are awarded annually. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $21,000. The fellowship includes participation in an SSRC-funded interdisciplinary workshop upon the completion of IDRF-funded research.
Application Deadline: Nov 1 each year
Discipline: Geography, Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
Approximately 20 NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Awards (up to $700 each) are given each year to cover expenses associated with attending the conference. Applications are judged based on the merits of the applicants' abstracts, financial needs, and professional backgrounds and goals. Former award recipients are not eligible to apply. Underrepresented individuals are especially encouraged to apply.
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
Early Career Grants are designed to offer less experienced individuals an opportunity to lead a project. Grant projects last one calendar year or less. If you apply for more than one year of funding, your proposal will be sent back to you to revise and resubmit for the next deadline. Projects are typically funded for US $5,000 and cannot exceed US $10,000.
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: International, United States
This site lists programs that provide funding either directly from the National Science Foundation or from awardee institutions, including the Geography and Spatial Sciences Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants and Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students.
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: United States
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based Master's and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.
Application Deadline: October
Discipline: Geography, GIS
Citizenship: United States
The organization's graduate fellowship provides up to $90,000 in support for immigrants and children of immigrants who are pursuing graduate school in any field and at any institution in the United States. Their new application for students is now open and available on their website, where you can also find full eligibility requirements: pdsoros.org. If you're considering graduate school, apply in the fall for funding for your first year of graduate school.
Application Deadline: November
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: United States
United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Scholarships
USGIF is dedicated to assist promising students interested in the geospatial sciences with scholarship awards. This includes students interested in using capabilities of geospatial science, data and technologies to address human security challenges. Graduating high school seniors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students can apply. Scholarship recipients are chosen based on their academic and professional excellence in a field related to the geospatial intelligence tradecraft.
Application Deadline: April
Discipline: Geography, GIS, Planning
Citizenship: International, United States